Three takeaways from Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Everton on New Year’s Day

Manchester United put the sour end of 2017 behind them and rolled to a 2-0 win at Everton New Years Day.

After three straight draws, United were in desperate need of a win. Not to keep pace with City — sadly, the title race is over — but to keep their spot at second. Chelsea are closing in, and the fight for the position 2-4 will be intense as the second half of the season starts.

Paul Pogba put on a masterclass performance today. He finished with two assists as United’s attack finally showed up despite Romelu Lukaku missing through injury.

Anthony Martial was called upon to lead the line and he did so in fantastic fashion. His second half curler put United on top while Jesse Lingard continued his hot streak with an absolute screamer of a goal to double the advantage.

Here’s three takeaways from today’s win:

The Pogba-Lingard connection is real

Lingard and Pogba are typically noticed for their dabbing and celebrations. However, over the past few months these two have truly developed on the field.

They are great friends off of the pitch, and you can see that on the pitch now.

They link up, understand eachother’s movements, and its paying dividends. Pogba set up Lingard for what was almost a fantastic goal if not for Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s fine save.

Minutes later, however, the two would link up again and Lingard would stroke a rocket into the far corner.

These two are dangerous when paired together, and that connection dates back to their academy days.

Martial is still a striker

With injuries to Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, manager Jose Mourinho had a dilemma. Who would lead the line between Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial?

Martial was United’s first-choice striker for the 2015-16 season when he arrived from Monaco, but the emergence of Rashford and the signings of Lukaku and Zlatan has pushed him down the pecking order.

He’s played off the left-wing for the past two years, but he finally got a chance to prove himself as a striker against Everton.

He scored a stunning curler and looked more than capable of playing as a classic No. 9 — ironically, his old number.

He was subbed off for Rashford in the second half, but his versatility make him a weapon for United.

Confidence is key for Pogba

Paul Pogba showed his world-class ability once again in the 2-0 win.

The 24-year old recored his sixth and seventh assists in the Premier League, and nearly added a goal himself.

However, we don’t always see performances like this from Pogba. When he tries to force the ball he isn’t effective.

When he’s calm, composed, and confident, he brings it all to the pitch. And he certainly brought it Monday.

He was dazzling. Pogba was making fantastic passes and was creating chances all afternoon.

Just when the critics were starting to get louder, Pogba put forth a performance worth of shutting them down.

Next: Manchester United’s Top 5 players of 2017

The next step for Pogba and the rest of Manchester United is to build on this win. United have the capabilities of winning every match — they just have to bring it every single day.